Over the past 20 years, screenwriterPeter Straughanhas become British cinemas go-to guy for adaptations.
As with any election, however, there are dirty tricks afoot.
Even in the Vatican, as Lawrence soon finds out.
Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence in ‘Conclave’Focus Features
But itiscoming out fairly soon.
Peters done a fantastic job.
It was a long time coming.
(L-R) Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence and Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini in ‘Conclave’Focus Features
Hilary took a while to write it, and then I took a long time to adapt it.
But I love it.
Deadline recently sat down with Straughan to discuss his work onConclave.
DEADLINE:How did you get involved with adaptingConclave?
PETER STRAUGHAN:Two of the films producers sent it to me.
They both sent me the book, and I read it pretty much in one sitting.
I really liked it.
Roberts a wonderful writer.
It was very elegant and intelligent, and it was very gripping.
So, there was that.
Really, what that means is that youre looking for conflict.
I suppose thats the point of elections to replace the need for physical violence.
Immediately, it felt like the drama was there.
It was a world I was interested in.
I was brought up Catholic.
I had one foot in the world and one foot out, so that interested me.
DEADLINE:Was there a particular moment that inspired you?
STRAUGHAN:I remember the moment when I thought, Oh, I want to do this.
The world were in now is a very polarized world.
And I feel as Ive got older, Ive become much more suspicious of certainty.
DEADLINE:How did you approach the process of adapting it?
STRAUGHAN:Every time I adapt a book, it feels like a slightly different process.
So, you have to decide for yourself, Whats the path Im going to take?
WithConclave, to be honest, I felt like that there was pretty much one straight path.
Edward [Berger] probably came on board by about the third draft.
DEADLINE:Did the script go through any drastic changes?
STRAUGHAN:It didnt.
There were moments we added.
On the one hand, theres a fantastic scale to the conclave.
Its the oldest election in the world.
Its serving a constituency of one and a half billion people, something like that.
So, it has this immense historical and political importance.
On the other hand, I was very aware that essentially this was a chamber piece.
So, what made me a little nervous was the worry that it could feel theatrical.
I love theater, but, as we know, theater and film can be a deadly combination.
DEADLINE:How did you address that?
There are thousands of people outside, waiting for the results.
DEADLINE:Did you have any contact with the author while you were going through this?
Is it useful to have contact with the author or not?
Because they know that the slavish adaptation isnt necessarily the best adaptation.
This is actually quite a faithful adaptation, as it turns out.
I didnt need, or have any desire, to make huge changes.
But Robert was very open and very collaborative in the process.
It was a weirdly happy process from beginning to end.
DEADLINE:Did you do any of your own research for this?
STRAUGHAN:We were given a private tour of the Vatican.
They were quite open actually, and they were quite friendly.
They werent hostile towards the project at all.
They hadnt been particularly hostile to the book either, to be honest.
We had a friendly Cardinal who we could check some details with.
But Robert had done his homework.
A lot of it was already there.
DEADLINE:Isabella Rossellini is getting a lot of attention for her role.
How important was it to have a female character in this male universe?
STRAUGHAN:In some ways, its what the film is about.
Except, in the end, something breaks through the surface of that silence.
That felt very important.
This is just my opinion, and I dont know if anyone else would share it.
I like to think that some of that spirit is at the center ofConclaveas well.
DEADLINE:In that way,Conclaveis a very modern film about a very ancient society.
I found myself thinking of the upcoming U.S. elections, as well as the recent British elections.
Do these parallels occur to you while youre writing?
But Roberts very interested in politics.
This feels on one level very much about an exploration of politics in a universal sense.
DEADLINE:I wasnt expecting it to be as funny as it is.
How do you know how much humor you could put into a story like this?
STRAUGHAN:Some of it is baked into the situation.
When you walk through the Vatican, those buildings, theyre there to intimidate and to instill awe.
Its an imperial citadel and was an imperial power, obviously.
So, theres a magnificence in that, and theres a magnificence in the Sistine Chapel.
Theres the pathos inherent in that, and that was always there from the beginning.
And to some extent theyre aware of the absurdity and theyre aware of the comparisons with more worldly politics.
DEADLINE:Immigration becomes a talking point in the movie.
Without going into spoilers, how did you handle that aspect of the story?
STRAUGHAN:I felt very sensitive to that aspect of it.
I felt very sensitive that we shouldnt be othering or demonizing the non-Christian world.
Outside information isnt supposed to be allowed in.
DEADLINE:What attracts you to projects likeConclave?
Do you see any motifs recurring in the projects you tackle?
STRAUGHAN:It took me a long time to notice it, but there is.
So, this is very interesting.
Its whatTinker Tailoris fundamentally about.
I dont know why thats the story I keep telling.
I dont know if thats because of my Catholic childhood and the Christ-Judas myth at the center.
The interesting thing is it doesnt make any difference or do any good knowing that.
I mean, Ill be writing something and think, Oh, I like this.
And then six months later Ill look back and Oh, of course you do.
Youre telling the same story again.
DEADLINE:What else are you working on at the moment?
STRAUGHAN:Im developing a few TV projects.
Im doing a film about, which is kind of about the theater actually, and about actors.
Its got a working title ofFolio.
Its a kind of historical black comedy, I guess.
Conclavehit U.S. theaters on Friday and on November 29 in the UK.
Peter Straughan is repped by Casarotto Ramsay & Associates and CAA.
